


The Taste of a Flower

by Lady_Ganesh



Category: Pet Shop of Horrors
Genre: During Canon, Family, Fluff, Gen, Halloween, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 21:09:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21204140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Ganesh/pseuds/Lady_Ganesh
Summary: Leon and D take Chris trick-or-treating.





	The Taste of a Flower

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hyacinthus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyacinthus/gifts).

"Oh, this is quite fascinating," D said, in that 'scientist inspecting a slide' tone he got sometimes. "And they do this every year?"

"This is the first year, actually," Leon said. You could tell, too, the people manning booths didn't seem quite prepared for the crush of demanding children they were faced with. Leon had been right; Chris would have it easy at a big event like this, crammed with demanding kids. No one was going to wait to make sure he said 'trick or treat.' They were just going to throw some treats his way and call it good. No one looked twice at having T-chan trot around, either. 

Chinatown was great at Halloween. Taking Chris to the Union Station party had been a good idea. Sometimes Leon got it right.

"Want to try something a little more grown-up?" a woman called from a stall. The sign read _Eat Responsibly: Wine Filled Chocolates._ "You're both over 21, right?"

"I certainly am," D said. "Though I can't vouch for my companion."

"Ha, ha," Leon said. "I can give you my ID, if you--"

"You're fine," she said. The cop in Leon noticed she African-American, probably in her mid-twenties, average height, with dark curly hair pulled back from her face. The rest of Leon was busy enjoying how pretty she was. Curvy, too. "One sample each, as long as you're of age. We have some stickers for the kids. No alcohol advertising on them, just happy grapes."

D arched a perfectly painted eyebrow. "Happy grapes?"

She shrugged. "Nobody asked me. They're cute, anyway." She lifted up a sticker to illustrate.

"Well, if Chris would like a sticker with happy grapes on them, I suppose it's harmless--oh, there he is." He waved at Chris, and Chris came running over, T-chan hot on his heels. His bag was already looking pretty full. 

It was funny, how D and Chris always seemed to manage to communicate. Leon envied it, sometimes, but you were always on better behavior when it wasn't your family, right? At any rate, D managed to finagle Chris a sticker without the girl at the booth even realizing Chris wasn't talking.

"You've collected quite a bit of candy," he said, approvingly. Chris nodded, grinning. Leon rarely saw him that happy outside the pet shop. He felt a little guilty for a second, but then told himself that at least he was having a good time now. He didn't screw it up all the time.

"Most of this chocolate is quite...cheap," D said. "That last one was acceptable, but there is much higher quality to be had in the city."

"This is free," Leon said. "Hate to tell you but Halloween isn't about quality. It's all quantity here." Chris had already run to the next booth, which was giving out glow-in-the dark bracelets. "Oh, we'll have to make sure he's careful with that. Animals can't eat the stuff inside, it makes 'em sick."

"I should think no one should eat something that glowed in the dark," D sniffed archly.

"Good point." 

Chris was half-asleep by the time they got back to the pet shop, leaning on Leon's shoulder heavily as he carried the boy through the door. "Busy night," he said.

"Indeed," D said. "He can stay here, if you don't want the trouble of disturbing him.

"I lean on you too much already," Leon said. "But--maybe he can just sleep here a while longer?"

"Of course. I'll put some tea on."

Leon sorted through the free tote bag they'd gotten at the party; he'd stopped at enough places it was hard to remember all that he'd gotten. Stickers, some more free samples of chocolate--oh, there it is.

"What's this?" D asked, when he got back to the table and noticed the little wax-coated bag where he normally sat.

"Picked it up while you and T-chan were looking at incense burners." He'd made Chris keep an eye out so D wouldn't figure out what he was up to. 

D opened the bag carefully. "Oh!"

"I know you're not big on Kit Kats, so I figured I'd pick you up something a little classier. Made right in LA, too."

D carefully picked out a gordita from the bag. "Oh, is that caramel?"

"Sure is."

"Thank you, Detective! You can be quite thoughtful, you know. You should try it more often."

"Well, Chris had a really good time. I appreciate it."

"You're very welcome," D said, and took a bite of the candy. He smiled delightedly. "Oh, this is wonderful. Here," he said, digging into the bag. "You must try one."

"Well," he said, taking the little candy flower from D's hand. "If you insist."

**Author's Note:**

> Union Station in LA has an event called Boo-nion Station that this event is loosely modeled on (though it is too recent to have been going on during the run of the manga.) Here are the [gordita candies,](http://www.zamoranacandy.com/milk-candy/GORDITAS.html) from Zamorana Candy in LA.


End file.
